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This site is the inspiration of a former reporter/photographer for one of New England's largest daily newspapers and for various magazines. The intent is to direct readers to interesting political articles, and we urge you to visit the source sites. Any comments may be noted on site or directed to KarisChaf at gmail.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Excerpted from Fox News: A
final effort by Senate Republicans to halt cuts to pensions of military
retirees failed late Tuesday, after Democrats blocked an amendment to
the controversial budget bill.

The two-year budget agreement, which cleared a key test vote earlier
in the day, was expected to get a final vote no later than Wednesday.

Ahead of the final vote, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., tried
unsuccessfully to use a parliamentary tactic to force a vote on the
amendment, which he wrote to undo the cuts for military retirees.

A provision in the already House-passed bill would cut retirement benefits for military retirees by $6 billion over 10 years.

Sessions wanted to instead eliminate an estimated $4.2 billion in
annual spending by reining in an IRS credit that illegal immigrants have
claimed.

He and fellow senators argued the bill unfairly sticks veterans and other military retirees with the cost of new spending.

“It’s not correct, and it should not happen,” Sessions said on the floor.

“By blocking my amendment, they voted to cut pensions for wounded
warriors,” he said afterwards. “Senators in this chamber have many valid
ideas for replacing these pension cuts, including my proposal to close
the tax welfare loophole for illegal filers, and all deserved a fair and
open hearing. But they were denied.”

Sessions’ office claimed the vote Tuesday to block the amendment was a
vote to “cut military pensions instead of cutting welfare for illegal
immigrants.” Keep reading

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